How to Instil Healthy Sleep Patterns

Dealing with children who don't or won't sleep is one of the most daunting and unwelcome challenges of parenting. If children sleep poorly, their parents are likely to do the same, resulting in irritability, grumpiness and general misery.

So what can desperately tired parents do about this? Don’t despair – there are tried-and-true ways to establish a healthy bedtime routine, so both you and your child can get some rest.

Healthy sleep patterns start early, so try to get your baby into good habits from the get-go:

• Establish a bedtime routine early in the first few months. A soft toy, quiet music and dim lighting may help when settling your child.
• Do not play with or excite your baby just before bedtime.
• Be aware that sometimes babies wake and cry several times during the night, but then go back to sleep. It may not be necessary for you to attend to every little noise.

But what can you do if your older child launches a full-blown battle of wills the moment you utter the word “bedtime”? There are ways to prevent that unwelcome patter of little feet on the floor after lights out:

• Get tough on bedtime. Letting children stay up late, even on weekends, isn't doing them any favours. Children need a sleep routine.
• Make sure your child winds down an hour before bedtime. Turn off the television and computer games, and stop any play that's too stimulating.
• Get your child up at the same time every morning. This establishes a good sleep habit and also resets their body clock.
• Ensure your child is getting enough exercise. This is vital for restful sleep and good general health.
• Check to see if there is too much light in the room at night. Block out street lights and make sure any LED displays on clocks are not too bright.
• Reading or listening to relaxing music can help your child wind down. Children love a bedtime story. It relaxes them and can be part of the bonding process between you both.
• Minimise noise near bedrooms. Some children can sleep through the AFL grand final while others wake up at the slightest noise. Try to ensure background noise isn’t disturbing your child.